Again they wept loudly, and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her.

Naomi said, "Look, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods. Follow your sister-in-law."

But Ruth replied: "Don't plead with me to abandon you or to return and not follow you.

For wherever you will go, I will go..."

Ruth 1:14-16 CSB

Here the story changes and the two younger women make two different decisions. 

The writer does not give any judgement on Orpah for her decision, who seems to have been convinced by the strength and wisdom of Naomi's arguments. She made the best decision she could, knowing what she knew at the time. 

Ruth took a different approach, and prioritised relationship over the relative security and comfort of staying with her people. 

Ruth was prepared to go into the unknown with Naomi. Not for what she might get out of it but can only be seen as love.

Love that spoke through her words of committment, and her actions. 

In our culture we generally only see this kind of committment in marriage and families, but here we have two women of different generations, with one committing to walk with the other into an unknown future, knowing it's risky. 

No matter what.

What a wonderful picture of love that Ruth paints here. 

I wonder how different our world would be if we love one another like this?

#bookofRuth

#covenantlove